One year on his administration, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, Jr.’s vision of a united 'Bagong Pilipinas' is still out of reach of most Filipinos, as a series of interviews conducted by OpinYon in Laguna province showed.
One year into his presidency, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. has unveiled a new vision for the country: “Bagong Pilipinas.”
This was reflected in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 24, during where he vowed – in his own words – to “improve our economy, bring jobs to our people, improve the ease of doing business, recalibrate our educational system to adapt to the new economy, lower and rationalize energy costs, boost agricultural production, enhance healthcare, and continue social programs for the poor and the vulnerable.”
Yet, in Laguna province, many (excluding his die-hard supporters, of course) have received his record of achievements and future plans with skepticism, if not outright scorn.
For many Lagunenses, who had in recent months endured high prices of basic commodities and a degrading quality of life, what’s there to even know of President Marcos’ latest SONA?
No interest
Some OpinYon Laguna reporters noted that there seemed to be no “public viewings” of sorts of the SONA, unlike in pre-pandemic years when people would gather around radio and television sets and listen to the President’s address to the nation.
At around 5:00 p.m., at the height of President Marcos’ speech, almost no one was watching the SONA even on their smartphones or tablets at the Pacita Commercial Complex in San Pedro City in Laguna, one reporter said.
“Parang normal lang na eksena sa mga tiangge, lahat busy sa kani-kanilang gawain. Di tulad noon na kapag SONA time na ay agad silang tumatambay sa harap ng mga radyo at telebisyon, ngayon halos wala nang nakatutok,” the reporter observed.
“Siguro dahil ang pananaw ngayon ng marami ay naka-record naman iyan sa Internet at pwedeng panoorin later, o di kaya ay sa 6 o’clock news na lang panonoorin ang highlights ng SONA [a fact that was later confirmed by a series of ‘man-on-the-street’ interviews conducted by OpinYon Laguna],” he added.
“Pero ang nakapagtataka ngayon ay tila walang pakialam ang mga tao na may SONA. At sa akin, parang sintomas ito na wala nang interes ang mga tao sa nangyayari sa kanilang bansa.”
Improvement of life what?
But if majority of Lagunenses did not even watch the SONA live, they were at least aware of the achievements and the pledges President Marcos delivered – and are not afraid to give their reactions on it, as OpinYon Laguna’s reporters have found out.
Of particular interest among Lagunenses was his declaration that prices of basic commodities had gone down in the first year of his administration (“Sa mga nakalipas na buwan, nakita natin ang pagbaba ng presyo ng bilihin sa iba’t ibang mga sektor”), a remark that has elicited scorn from various sectors who wondered if the President was living in a “parallel universe.”
“Parang hindi naman ako nakaramdam [ng pagbabago]. Ganoon pa rin, wala paring pagbabago sa paghihirap,” was how Mang Andy, a 62-year-old driver from Pacita 1, San Pedro City, reacted to Marcos’ claims.
What about the KADIWA stores of the Department of Agriculture (DA) that had rolled out several times in San Pedro City in the past year, which purportedly offered cheaper agricultural products while helping farmers find a steady source of income?
“Saan po ba iyong KADIWA store dito sa San Pedro City? Wala naman pong Kadiwa dito sa amin; ang nakikinabang lang naman diyan ay yung talagang nagsasadya doon,” Mang Andy told OpinYon Laguna.
Others also believed the President’s pledge to bring down the cost of basic commodities (remember his campaign pledge to bring down the price of rice to P20 a kilo?) is fanciful at best but achievable if Marcos displays political will.
“Medyo di ko naman naramdaman yung pagbaba [ng presyo ng bilihin], kasi dati nakakabili ka P200 plus lang kilo ng baboy, e ngayon ang taas, hindi nagmura. Kasi kung babalik sa dating presyo ayun ang sasabihin kong nagmura ang presyo dati P200 plus, ngayon P300 plus,” Edgar, a security guard from San Pedro City, said. “Pero kaya naman kung talagang gugustuhin din kasi Presidente ‘yon e, kapag inutos niya.”
'We still believe in him’
Meanwhile, there are also signs that some of those who supported Marcos during the 2022 elections have also adopted a “wait-and-see” strategy to witness whether the President can really carry on his promises.
“Inaamin ko na hindi ko masyadong napakinggan ang SONA ni Pangulong Marcos, pero ako, basta kung ano ang sinabi niya, sana mangyari ang mga iyon,” Nilda, a business owner from San Pedro City, told OpinYon Laguna.
“Ako’y naniniwala pa rin sa binitawan niya kung anong plano niya sa bansa natin. Ang sinasabi ko nga sa iba, limang taon pa, so maghintay tayo, e nangyayari naman,” she added.
Wait and see
Given that the Marcos administration still has five years to fulfill its pledge of a “Bagong Pilipinas,” it’s still too early to determine for sure whether the President’s legislative agenda will bring the country back from the impacts both of the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent uncertainties in the global economic stage.
But one thing is sure: unless he manages to turn the economy around (a prospect that some have already doubted, given the recent “railroading” of the Maharlika Investment Fund and the high inflation rates during the first months of his administration), Marcos, Jr. may leave a legacy even more checkered than his father’s has been.
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